And given their paucity of top prospects, McCarthy is probably about as good as the Yankees could expect to do in this trade market.

General manager Brian Cashman said the club was "ready to rock and roll" in the trade market last week, but the price of poker went up considerably when the Oakland Athletics dealt their top prospect, shortstop Addison Russell, to the Chicago Cubs in a package for pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. That impacted an already thin market, and the Yankees never figured to be in the running for true blue chip targets like Samardzija or David Price.

They parted with Nuno, 26, who toggled between their bullpen and rotation this season.

So they settle on McCarthy, who has a lifetime 45-60 record and 4.21 ERA. He should boost a rotation decimated by injuries to CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, and the Yankees won't blink at assuming the remaining money on his two-year, $18 million deal that expires after this season.